1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to boats and watercraft and, more particularly, concerns an improved drain assembly for draining water out of interior compartments of boats and watercraft while preventing water from entering the interior compartment when the watercraft is positioned in the water.
2. Description of the Related Art
Boating is a very popular hobby within the United States. Each year thousands of people take speedboats, sailboats, personal watercraft and the like out onto lakes and rivers and oceans in this country. As these watercraft are operated, water often accumulates in interior compartments of the boat. Further, boat operators will often clean these interior compartments which can also result in accumulations of water within the interior compartments of the boat. Consequently, drains and drain valves are often installed in the interior compartment of the boats so that water accumulated therein can be drained outside of the boat.
For example, in a typical speedboat, a drain assembly drains water from the passenger compartment through the stern wall of the boat to the exterior of the boat. The drain assembly generally consists of a hole through the stern wall of the boat that is plugged at one end. When the boat operator wishes to drain water out of the boat, the boat operator simply removes the plug and the water in the passenger compartment then drains through the drain assembly. Typically, the plug is a screw in plug that is screwed into threads that are formed in an interior passage of the drain assembly.
One problem associated with drain assemblies of the prior art is that the boat operator may forget to replace the plug after draining the water out of the interior compartment of the boat. For example, it is common for boat operators to open the drains after the boat has been placed on the trailer to allow the water to drain out of the interior compartments after the boat has been removed from the water. If the boat operator forgets to replace the plug, water can then enter the interior compartments of the boat the next time the boat is positioned in the water. In fact, water can enter through the drain in sufficient quantities that the boat can sink and, in this country, literally hundreds of boats are lost each year as a result of this occurrence.
One solution to this problem is a one-way drain assembly that incorporates a flapper valve. This device includes an aperture that extends through a wall of the boat wherein a valve member is mounted within the aperture in a pivoting fashion. Preferably, the valve member can only pivot so as to open the aperture in response to water flowing from the boat compartment to the exterior of the boat. Further, the valve member is configured so that when water is flowing from the exterior of the boat into the interior of the boat, the valve member closes off the aperture and prevents the water from entering the boat.
While the flapper type drain valve reduces the likelihood of water entering the interior compartments of the boat after the boat operator has failed to reinstall a plug, these devices suffer from some problems. In particular, these devices are typically made of a plastic that degrades as a result of exposure to UV light. Consequently, sunlight often damages these devices to a point where the valve member breaks and does not close off the aperture when needed. Further, these devices are also exposed to oil and other foreign matter within the water which inhibits the correct pivoting motion of the flapper valve member to the point where the valve member does not adequately seal the boat. For example, the foreign matter may cause the flapper to get stuck in a fixed position which either inhibits proper operation of the drain or allows water to flow through the drain into the boat.
Hence, even though the flapper-type drain valves represent an improvement over the standard drains that simply incorporate a plug, it still suffers from serious shortcomings in its ability to prevent water from entering interior compartments of the boat when the boat is positioned in a body of water.
From the foregoing, it should be apparent that there is a need for an improved drain valve for boats that will prevent water from entering the boat when a plug has failed to be inserted into the drain valve.
The aforementioned needs are satisfied by the improved drain valve assembly of the present invention which is comprised of a drain valve assembly that can be positioned within an opening in a wall of the boat wherein the assembly defines a central opening or passageway that extends through the wall of the boat. The central passageway includes a reduced aperture portion that has a cross-sectional area which is less than the cross-sectional area of the central passageway. A ball is positioned within the central passageway and is captured therein so as to be positioned adjacent the reduced aperture. Preferably, the ball is captured within the central passageway in a position wherein it floats such that when water is flowing through the reduced aperture from an interior compartment of the boat to the exterior of the boat, the ball is urged away from the reduced aperture so that water can flow through the reduced aperture and the central passageway of the assembly. Conversely, when water is flowing from the exterior of the boat into the interior of the boat, the ball is then urged into the reduced aperture thereby inhibiting the flow of water from the exterior of the boat to the interior of the boat through the central passageway.
It will be appreciated that the improved drain valve assembly of the present invention inhibits water flow from the exterior of the boat into an interior compartment through the use of a free-floating ball that is captured within the central passageway of the drain valve. The use of the floating ball reduces the likelihood of failure of the valve as there are no pivoting members which can be broken by repeated use and fatigue. Further, the floating ball is also less likely to be stuck by oil or some other foreign matter in a fixed position. Hence, the assembly is configured to prevent water from flowing into the boat or watercraft when the boat or watercraft is positioned in the water. These and other objects of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.